Country diary: Suddenly I crave to hear a willow warbler

Sandy, Bedfordshire: The songbird section of spring is nearing a close, so I dash off to the heathOvernight showers call for an early morning rescue mission along the riverside path, before the trampling rush of people begins. Forefingers and thumbs clasp snails gliding right and lob them into a meadow where reed and sedge warblers sing. Snails tilting their eyestalks to the left are scooped up and dropped on grass beds under the willows. Please don't break. From the canopy over my stooped shoulders pours the song of blackcaps, garden warblers and chiffchaffs.Something in this warbler chorus is missing, if names are to be believed. I don't recall hearing a willow warbler among these copses and spinneys this year or any other, though it is probably Britain's commonest warbler, and there are hundreds of willow trees here with welcoming boughs. In the south, the sandy lands on which the heath sits seem to be the willow warbler's favoured nesting domain. Birch warbler might be a better appellation for this bird, for they thrive in the pioneer forests that spring up once the conifer plantations are cleared. Continue reading...